BAA Chairman named in BAE corruption lawsuit

Just when BAA thought it was safe to return to the business of destroying communities and the climate, their new 'troubleshooter' Chairman, Sir Nigel Rudd, gets named in a BAE bribery lawsuit.

After the UK Serious Farce Office decided to drop the investigation (in return for Saudi Arabia buying lots of new Eurofighters), the American Department for Justice began investigating the dodgy dealings and bribery allegations. Now shareholders in the States have launched a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the directors of BAE, including Rudd, claiming that they have wrecked the company's reputation with "improper and/or illegal bribes, kickbacks and other payments" to the Saudi regime.

Hardly the news BAA wanted to hear - although, with reports circulating that the DfT conspired with them to fix the nitrous oxide levels around Heathrow, perhaps a leader with experience of corrupt officials and dodgy dealings is exactly what they were looking for?